United 93 has joined the clan of Oscar hopefuls, after it won the best film award from the New York Film Critics Circle.

The film, directed by Britain's Paul Greengrass, was named film of the year in what was described as a "dogfight" with The Queen, Stephen Frears's acclaimed drama about the days following the death of Princess Diana. Voters had to go into a four-round tiebreaking vote to decide which film would win their top award.

There was some consolation for The Queen however: It won more awards than any other film, including best actress for Helen Mirren and best screenplay for Peter Morgan.

In other categories, Martin Scorsese collected a best director nod for his efforts on the mafia-cop thriller The Departed. Forest Whitaker won the best actor gong for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

With two further wins for Mirren and Whitaker - both have already won a truckful of awards for their respective roles - the pair is now cementing their chances of being named best actors on Oscar night.